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Gregory Potyomkin

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Gregory Potyomkin

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Also known as Gregory Alexandrovich Potyomkin-Tavricheski, Potyomkin, Prince Gregory Alexandrovich Potyomkin-Tauricheski

Russian military leader and politician (1739–1791)

AI overview

Gregory Potyomkin was a Russian military commander and statesman who lived from 1739 to 1791 and played a significant role in Russian affairs during the reign of Catherine the Great. He is historically important for his military campaigns, particularly against the Ottoman Empire, and for his influence on Russian imperial policy in the 18th century.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Princely arms of Grigory Potemkin Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (11 October [O.S. 30 September] 1739 – 16 October [O.S. 5 October] 1791) was a Russian military leader, statesman, nobleman, and favourite of Catherine the Great. He died during negotiations over the Treaty of Iași, which ended a war with the Ottoman Empire that he had overseen.

Potemkin was born into a family of middle-income landowners of Russian nobility. He first attracted Catherine's favor for helping in her 1762 coup, then distinguished himself as a military commander in the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). He became Catherine's lover, favorite and possibly her consort. After their passion cooled, he remained her lifelong friend and favored statesman. Catherine obtained for him the title of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire and gave him the title of Prince of the Russian Empire among many others: he was both a Grand Admiral and the head of all of Russia's land and irregular forces. Potemkin's achievements include the peaceful annexation of the Crimea (1783) and the successful second Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), during which the armed forces under his command besieged Ochakov.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Gregory Potyomkin” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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